This War Is Ours
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Years ago, Mariejois was ravaged by Tiger Fisher. He destroyed that holy city, and freed all the slaves that the accursed Celestial Dragons had accumulated. But what happens when one slave takes revenge too far? What will be the price? NarutoxBoa LEMONS!
1. Killing in the name of

As always, the moon was beautiful tonight.

But, truly, beauty is subjective.

"World Nobles... Slaves... Human shops... Against the "purity" of these "upper classes", the villains of the world look positively humane in comparison. It's because the world's in the hands of scum like them that it's all screwed to hell... I mean, we're not the nicest of guys, but at least we're honest about it." A blond haired youth muttered softly to himself as he walked the halls of Mariejois. His intentions were pure. They were simple. And they would leave these halls rich with blood.

"If the World Nobles didn't exist...

For the sake of justice, _true justice,_ nothing could possibly be more beautiful than this. The flames of rebellion and revolution burned the halls behind him; consuming the yard of the court within the inferno Tiger Fisher had created. While he bore no love for Fishmen, the chaos they had sown outside was equally beautiful. Tempted by the beauty of such an opportunity, what slave could possibly hope to resist the chance for vengeance?

"If they didn't exist...

He stopped before the door to Saint Charloss's room.

_'They shouldn't exist at all.'_

"Saint Roswald?" The man inquired pleasantly, feigning dismissiveness. "Are you home, sir?" Of course he was. That fat floundering fool was staring out the window, eyes wide as plates, jaw slack, and practically boneless. And that was before he turned toward the door and saw the knife. That was before the door clicked shut with a beautiful _clack._ A hairsbreadth later and steel found flesh as an ornate dagger wedged itself between his ribs.

"Y-You fiend...

Flesh yielded to bone and bone to sinew as the dagger flew straight and true. His former master crumpled, unable to express his fury thanks to a punctured lung. But the work of the intruder, oh, his beautiful work was not yet done. There was still much, so very much to do! Stepping over the soon to be corpse, the intruder reached down toward the man who had made the last seven years of his life a living hell, and crushed his windpipe.

"You know, I should thank you." He began with a deadly softness. "For making me eat that damn fruit."

Roswald made a squelching sound as bones and vertebrae began to pop. But that was not the worst of it. Frost crept across his chin, spreading from his bush black beard and draining it white with the pallor of his skin. He fought to roll over onto his knees, but his legs refused to draw up beneath him. The grip of the assailaint was just too tight. The vice tightened as the seconds ticked by, dwindling his already shallow supply of air.

"Did you know," He began softly, terribly, terribly softly, "How fragile the human heart is? Such a frail, frail little thing, the heart. Tell me, do you know what the Shini Shini no mi is capable of doing to that organ?" When no reply was immediately forthcoming, the blond tittered softly to himself. "Oh, I'm sure you don't, else you'd never have given it to me to begin with, now, would you?"

Blood flecked the lips of Saint Roswald as he gasped and hacked and wheezed; struggling and flailing to draw in his dying breath. And _still _the assassin did not relinquish his grip. Twin cerulean slits shone in the blackness, morphing into a sinister and slitted crimson as the seconds dragged themselves inexorably onward. And with each passing instant, so too, went another beat of Roswald's heart.

"Still, I feel that I owe you this much." He continued to prattle on, even as the Tenryubito's face purpled under the strain of oxygen. "I should tell you my name, at the very least, wouldn't you agree, oh former master of mine? Its thanks in part to you that Fish and I've been able to change the lives of these slaves. It is thanks to you, and your sick, pathetic, woeful incompetence, and that of your children, that I stand before you today. And I'm not sorry to say...

...this is the end for you."

Without warning, without mercy...

...the knife descended.

"This is for Boa."

One painful wrench later, and a Celestial Dragon died tonight.


	2. Judgement

_What can you see in their eyes?_

_In defeat, I can see their demise._

_Even though, not a blow has been struck as they have to fight._

_Like the wind, far too strong to resist._

_There is nowhere to hide._

_From the force that will tear them apart and banish their souls._

**_Chapter II: Judgement Incarnate_**

"I'm wretched." She whispered. "Absolutely wretched."

The sun had only just begun its glorious red-hazed descent, and still, they kept moving. The"holy land" of Mariejoa burned behind them, and still, they kept moving. Theirs was a group of four. Three sisters, and one boy who bore no familial relation to them whatsoever. His was a tireless pace that followed, and it was an inexorable one. While many others hurried past them, this group did not run.

"Believe me, you're the furthest thing from that." He replied.

They walked.

She lost count of the miles and hours. She lost count of how many times she stumbled and fell, of how many times her sisters staggered behind her, or how many times he pulled them up and encouraged them to walk_-not run-_ahead of him. She daren't turn around; lest she catch sight of his face. His eyes could have froze her heart, if it wasn't already hammering harshly within her chest.

Hancock hated men.

She loathed them; despised all members of the opposite sex to her utter core. Man was cruel, twisted, and perverse. Mankind was profane, abusive and saddistic. Perhaps her view was slighty biased in that regard. She had, after all, been kidnapped. She had, after all, been the slave of a world noble for the better of four years. She had, of course, been made to endure such brutal treatment that some would call her "less than human" solely for the brand on her back.

Truly, she abhored the world of men.

But there was an exception to her iron clad rule of hatred. Nay he was more than that. For as she saw him sweep through the flames, unscathed, unharmed, her heart lurched deep within her breast back then just as it did now. When she'd first met him, it had taken a great deal of cajoling on her part just to get him to _speak his name._ To this very day, she still wasn't sure what his relationship to Roswald had been_-she'd yet to see him in chains whenever she'd been summoned-_or perhaps something else entirely. Now, as they pressed onward without cause or concern for anyone but themselves, another word came to mind.

"Keep moving." He ushered her forward. "Oh...and don't look down." A gloved finger redirected her gaze; drawing a wide-eyed face away from the misty peaks and churning waters that lurked miles below, threatening to swallow them up should they fall. She flinched aside at the thought, suddenly grateful for the other hand on her shoulder. Were it not for that, she might have swooned and lost her balance then and there.

Indeed, running atop the Red Line was not for the faint of heart. The palace still burned behind them, but the promised rendevous point remainds aways off. Behind them red rocks ran even redder with blood; the unfortunate fate of those who were fool enough to pursue them. Just the thought of what had been done to them brought the bile back up and-she choked that thought down, lest she be overcome.

Surely their pursuers hadn't given up on them yet.

She swallowed, a cold jolt of fear lancing through her breast. For a moment, the brand on her back ached dully; yet another sinister reminder of the life that she'd left behind, was still leaving behind with every step that distanced them from that dreadful place. Compared to that hell, their current predicament was a blessing. She remembered welll what had happened to the last soldier who'd irked their self-proclaimed protector.

"Something on your mind, Hancock?"

A soft voice gently drew her forth from her reverie.

She froze; twisting herself around, her head whipping back and forth like a puppet on a string. In the time that it had taken her to think, the roaring of the waters had reached her ears. They'd begun their descent, she realized; because the ground had begun to slope downward now, with almost every step. They were nearing the docks. She had to suppress the initial surge of joy; to let her guard down now was to doom everything Fisher Tiger had strove for.

_"Never be caught again!"_

Those words burned like a brand in the back of her mind. She could see it in the faces of her sisters as well. Sonia and Mari, both had yet to say so much as a word since the escape, and until now, Hancock really hadn't given it all that much thought. She was the eldest. She had to put on a brave face, if not for the two of them, then for herself. It pained her to think of showing any weakness now, especially in the prescence of her rescuer.

"You can relax." The hackles on the back of her neck rose for a moment before she realized who had spoken. "Roswald won't be coming after you." Hancock gulped down two breaths as she heard this, as she took in her surroundings: The ground had grown damp beneath their feet now; and a thick, soup fog had encompassed the slope. With these words however, her saviour stripped away all semblance of her composure and left her naked.

"I cannot."

"Yes," He spoke slowly, "You can."

"Lies." She whispered, refusing to give into to the pain, the grief, all the emotions that had been steadily building inside her since he'd first broken her chains. "I won't believe it until I see the shore of Amazon Lily once more." She twisted, shrugging his hand free from her shoulder. Why was she entertaining such delusions? She wanted to go home, nothing more. This man could not be allowed to accompany her, ship or no. Her feelings were irrelevant on the matter. No matter what strange sensations he might invoke in her mind, her body, her very soul_-mercy-_she couldn't bear to live with them any longer than she already had.

"Hancock...

"Stop calling me that!" Her vision was beginning to swoon, she couldn't possibly take this anymore! He was a man! He would betray her, use her, and cast her aside, just like all the rest! To someone as unclean, as filthy as she, his hand on her shoulder felt like a chain and ball; dragging her down, hauling her back to captivity. Some small part of her knew this not to be true, knew that she was being irrational, but the rest of her rebelled against any form of resignation.

"I said I refuse to believe it!"

She slapped him. The crack of blow sounded in the quiet, his head snapping back. He staggered half-of-a-step, rubbed his cheek confusion and hurt warring with anger in his eyes for a moment; then the former won over the latter. Her blow had knocked aside his cowl and exposed his face. Exposed the scars. Three to each cheek, a series of lines ran from his jaw to his neckline, the furrowed marks halting just beneath a pair of brilliant sapphire eyes.

"Are you satisfied?" He asked of her, his words edged with an emotion she couldn't quite discern.

Even as she watched-perhaps it had all been an illusion, those wounds receded into his flesh. They became little more than six whisker marks, tripling each cheek. She waited anxiously for his response, for him to lash out at her in kind, to turn on her and cement her suspicions about his true nature. Imagine her surprise when he instead ran a hand through that ridiculously platinum blond hair, matted down with sweat and grease, and sighed.

"You can refuse it as much as you like." He began slowly. "But I made Tiger a promise." His gaze swept over the three of them, lingering upon Sonia and Mari, each in kind. "I swore that I'd do everything within my power to bring the three of you home. You can bitch and moan as much as you want, BUT!" And here he held up a finger, "We're in this together, the four of us, understand?

"Roswald killed my best friend and for that he has died tonight. But if his _son_ thinks he can touch you, I will rip his throat out. I will emasculate and eviscerate him, and then toss him over the highest mountain in the land; and then I will rejoice while I watch him plummet to his death." She recalled those words well. Those had been his very first words to her, the declaration that he had avowed right in front of her.

"No one will touch you." He added softly, almost as if it were an afterthought. "I won't let them, Hancock." His shoulder brushed with hers for a moment, then drew away. Her cheeks burned; flushed scarlet at an otherwise harmless gesture of affection. Oh, but she could never be sure with this boy-no, this man. A boy dwelled on his weaknesses. A man conquered them and became the stronger for it, both in body and mind.

And, of course, his words.

Now, though tailored slightly to suit their present situation, she knew the meaning to be the same. Her companion was, in his own way, assuring great physical and spiritual harm to whomever was foolhardy enough to pursue them. He was, after all, fiercely protective. Amongst other things. He was the exception to the golden rule; that all men were inherently evil, and for that, and that alone, she felt she owed him some measure of trust. Even so, she risked a glance back at him; dared to peer past the cowl and a visage that had carved from suffering years of intense brutality.

"I will never reject you." He stated flatly. "Believe it."

He gazed at her, his face a frozen sculpture.

Hancock blinked.

He wasn't kidding.

_"Oh."_

She blinked anew, for suddenly his face was intense. Her world inverted, shrinking to a pinpoint of infinitismal brilliance. She knew that they were well within walking distance of the ship, but still, somehow, she could not bring her legs to carry her those few fateful steps over the dock. Everything was falling apart. Everything she'd ever known about the world, everything she'd ever considered to be reality, turned to water within her fingers and slipped out of her grasp.

She was utterly helpless as he came forward.

"You are blessed." He said softly, his fingers trailing over hers. "You are loved." She couldn't bring herself to decided what he meant by those words. Only that they invoked a deep and painful longing; one for solace and comfort that she so desired. She stood there, pale and fragile and helpless, unable to speak, _unable to breathe; _because her eyes were suddenly hot and her throat ached in a way that had nothing to do with his words and felt painfully thick and...and...and...

Before he could say "You are not rejected" something tore inside her chest.

_"Arigatou!"_

Sheathe and all the wakizashi fell from his hand, clattering uselessly to the floor with an audible plop. It skittered across the stone and gravel and dirt, out of reach. Abashed, he felt arms fling themselves around his neck, and then there was only the crunch of broken debris beneath his feet as he struggled; both to keep himself from falling, and her from doing the same, lest she herself fall and become traumatized further.

He couldn't make himself move, couldn't think; he simply felt.

The smooth skin of her cheek brushed against his scruffy, whiskered one. Her hair filled his nostrils with the clean scent of delight and sheer terror. She hugged him fiercely, the notes of strong hard arms joining with supple firm stomach and back joining with the pure feminine softness of her chest pressed against his making a chord of perfect acceptance.

"Thank you." She whispered, her words coming out small, desperate. _"A thousand times, thank you!" _She whined, burying her face into his chest as she finally fell apart, her eyes bursting with hot tears_. _"I know this... but still, I just...I just can't...

After a while he realized that she was shaking inside his oversized cloak, and she failed to stifle a sob. He frowned over her shoulder, trying to decide if it was kinder to leave her to her thoughts for a time, distract her with meaningless conversation, or draw her out and let her tell her story. Just five minutes ago, he been butchering World Nobles. Now he found himself in the awkward position of comforting a beautiful girl, and quite frankly, such a task was terrifying.

Naruto fumed at himself and everyone in the room.

She'd seen more murder and cruelty in a few hours than most people do in a lifetime. And he'd certainly contributed to it with his furious skirmish on the stand. All she knew of him was that he'd stolen her out of a slaver camp, savagely cutting down anyone in his path. Regardless of the reasons he gave for his actions, she had to wonder whether his motives were truly honorable or not. And he was covered in blood for crissakes!

Not knowing what else to do, he squeezed her and said,

"It's over now, Hancock."

She nodded but did not answer. She held him tighter. Such strength! He felt a rib begin to crack under the strain of her renewed vice; the likes of which was almost enough to drive the oxygen from his lungs and leave him altogether breathless. She fisted her hands into the lappels of his jacket; her tears doing more damage than any violence she could possibly commit. Abashed by her actions and the butterflies boiling in his stomach, Naruto resigned himself to patience; he would wait as long as it was neccessary.

"You're safe." He supplied weakly, doing his best to untangle himself from the snifling vixen and failing miserably. "Remember that." Incredibly, he found that he'd laid hands on her shoulders_-when had he done that exactly-_and he forced himself to smile. He didn't want to smile; he'd much rather be butchering the three Celestial Dragons that had dared to make her cry in the first place, but smile he did and his smile remained a beacon of compassion in the middle of such abject malice.

Hancock blushed anew.

"Naruto...

His face abruptly cleared.

"Oh, I think I might've forgot to mention something."

Hancock's entire being seized up with dread. No. A thousand times no! She absolutely refused to return to that place, even if he was the one asking. That fear, however, was swept under the proverbial rug with his next sentence. And in its place...well, she didn't know what to feel or think. Gingerly, she wriggled out of his arms, composed herself, and only then did she speak.

_...Excuse me?"_

"I said I'm a pirate." Naruto repeated, ushering the now gawping trio up the gangway. There wasn't even the slightest bit of haste in their steps now; because the blaze that was Mariejoa still burned and blazed brightly behind them. There was no mention of the non-existent bounty on his head, nor the fact that he was bound to become all but infamous for this "misdeed" that had freed thousands and thousands of slaves.

"All aboard!" Someone bellowed! "We're casting off!"

She did not care that the galleon was overcrowded, nor did she recognize that they were forever leaving their lives of slavery behind. She barely even felt the tether as it was irrevocably severed and they were cast into the seas of freedom once more. Sonia and Mari were lively once again, animatedly chatting with the other slaves, but Hancock did not share their enthusiasm as she dwelled upon Naruto's last words to her.

In that instant, Hancock felt her heart soar and her spirits plummet.

She'd fallen in love with a pirate!

**A/N: Haha! Take THAT Celestial Dragons! WOOT! Naruto's gonna get a big ass bounty for sure! Though technically he just saved his own "bounty" if you know what I mean! Now we see where Hancock gets the gall to be a pirate from LOL! I hope ya'll liked this chapter, and, on a status update, my health is improving! Legacy of a God, My Pride is a Hurricane, and Beyond the Shadows will be the next stories to receive updates, though not neccessarily in that order!**

**Next time: The land where no man may step! The Journey to Amazon Lily!**


	3. Infatuation

**_A/N: Sorry if this is so short! My health is beginning to improve again, and as a result, I am able to write chapters. Here we will see why Naruto was so horidly opposed toward the World Nobles and so overprotective of our poor Hancock._**

**_Infatuation_**

Hancock couldn't stop shaking.

From the moment they'd boarded the ship with their fellow escapees to the moment when she finally found her bunk in the bowels of the galleon, she simply hadn't been able to stop. Her mind buzzed with excitement, racing with a strange fervor that she'd never felt before. It was an inexplicable sensation, and, as such it was difficult to describe. It felt as if her face were afire, her cheeks still burned at the thought of his words, at the implications, and what they'd meant.

She'd been freed by him.

A pirate.

_She was falling in love with a pirate!_

And not just any pirate. The very pirate whom had proven to be her saviour; her rescuer, her godsend. The pirate whom, after four years of captivity, had freed her and her sisters from the bonds of slavery and set them free. But, truly, what good was freedom when one could not be free to love whom they pleased? She knew, once they arrived at Amazon Lily, that she too, would be forced to choose.

Happiness or sorrow.

Freedom to love, or exile from her people. It would have to be one or the other. She could not have her cake and eat it, as the saying went. Several days from now, she would be forced to make possibly the most important and painful decision of her young life. No man could live amongst the women of Amazon Lily. Their laws, nay, their very customs balked at such an audacious prospect!

These feelings were strong; they beat and clamored at her breast and demanded release. Suppressing them was proving to be painful. Very painful. But that pain was nothing compared to the pain of ignorance; the searing agony of yearning for one who is ignorant to your feelings, and immune to your charms. She'd already considered the possible implications of using her Mero Mero powers, but, unlike the rest of the freed slaves, he'd proven resistant thus to her feeble charms.

He couldn't possibly possible have..._those kind of interests._

It was either that, or he was truly, blissfully, ignorant. Hancock dreaded the former and prayed for the latter. She could bear with the pain if it was mere ignorance that barred her path. If her worst fears came to light, if he truly didn't care for her beyond fufilling his promise to Fisher Tiger_...no!_ Perish the thought! Surely he must have _some_ semblance of feeling for her, surely!

Hancock didn't want to think about that.

She didn't want anything to do with them, these feelings that swelled deep within her soul, threatening to overflow at the slightest given provocation. She needed some air. In one swift movement, she parted the blankets, and in the next, she made for the deck.

A blast of frigid night air slapped across her face.

_Not gently._

Hancock stepped out onto the lurching deck and clutched her robe tightly about herself, shuddering. Winter was fast approaching this region; the sea surged, capped with ice, surged about her, creating a strange and erratic rythym as it banged against the hull of the ship. She glanced about, certain that she'd find herself alone on deck. She was wrong. Very very wrong.

_No._

Someone was there, leaning against the mast, their hands cupped toward their face. The sound of sparks could be heard, and they could be seen, as she drew nearer, she spied what looked like a light in those wrapped hands of gloved shadow. Besieged by her own curiousity, she drew near. Too late, she saw the flash of sapphire in the dark. Too late, she recognized that unmistatakeable glint of bright, platinum blond, beneath the starry sky.

_No._

Her heart hammered anew.

"Is...Is anyone there?"She called out meekly.

A cigar came alight at that very instant, revealing the farce that had hidden his face.

"Hancock?" The words were edged with amusement. "Is that you?"

Hancock deflated like a punctured balloon.

_'He was here after all!'_

"Ah, so it _is_ you."

Naruto's answer was so short and direct, Hancock almost didn't recognize his voice at first. It was very professional sounding-curt, but not self important. He'd always been that way; short, sweet, and to the point. There was never any bullshit to cut through with him; what you saw was what you got. And, by the gods, Boa Hancock liked_-loved-_what she saw now:

Gone were the servant rags he'd previously worn. In their place, in the place of those tattered and filthy garments, was something grand. Discarded, he'd exchanged the rags for a simple pair of black slacks and an open orange vest that epxosed his chiseled musculature. Wrapped around all of that, a thick fur cloak shielded the former slave from the worsf of the weather.

Naruto smiled bedazzlingly, exposing sharper-than-normal canine teeth. He had her and she knew it. _Damnit. _She wanted to bitch and brood, though; she didn't want to cheer up and stop thinking about this. She wanted to figure it out. She wanted to figure _him_ out; why it was that his smile bewitched her so, why the slightest sight of him took her breath away and left her gasping for air.

"W-What brings you out here, Hancock?"

Naruto took a puff of his cigarette.

"I couldn't sleep."

"N-Neither could I!" Hancock cursed herself for the stammer. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she keep her composure around him? She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him, and yet she feared that in doing so she'd lose him forever. She'd seen his ability; she'd seen the terror in the eyes of his opponents as the life left their eyes and leached out of their very bones. Supposedly he could control this ability. It was even said that the power of this fruit, of the Shini Shini no mi, could briefly alter and copy the properites of other Devil Fruit users, such as herself. Hancock had never seen this hidden talent up close, but perhaps that was why Saint Roswald never allowed him to leave his side. With an ability like that, even a logia-type could be rendered powerless upon contact.

"You look cold." Naruto said suddenly, turning his body toward her, his words drawing Hancock from her reverie. "Here, take my coat."

**"!"**

Naruto looked into her eyes and deep within his eyes was something that made her want to gibber like a madwoman. It was like staring at the night sky after learning for the first time that the stars were not mere pinpricks in the raiment of heaven, but each its own sun, billions of leagues distant. To stare into the eyes of this man was to realize just how small one truly was, how utterly insignificant you were when compared to him.

She was tugging at his hand before she realized it. Naruto looked down to at her pale, drawn face. Her skin was dry now, the sweat evaporated. He took no hope or comfort in that, however. She was going; going to ask him about _that_ again. He had come to know the look. He laid his coat round her shoulders, ignoring Hancock's feeble protests that she didn't need such a thing.

"Just take the damned thing already." The blond grumbled. "I can't feel the cold anyway." Hancock was about to ask if he could feel her hand within his own, before the blond squeezed it gently. Her cheeks darkened at that.

"Naruto," she said, and smiled. She clasped one of his hands in both of hers. "I wanted to th-thank you again. No one wants to die all alone, do they?" His hand grew taut and tight within hers for a moment. Then he shifted inexplicably. He shook his head violently, and she understood this was not in agreement with her statement, but in vehement contradiction of its premise.

''Thank you...'' Hancock whispered as she leaned over and kissed Naruto's cheek. She looked into his eyes and couldn't help but almost become lost in them. Those deep pools of sapphire were always so kind and sure; it always filled her with a surge of confidence. "Thank you for everything...Naruto."

The blond said nothing.

He merely held her, and to this, Hancock was content.

So long as she had him...

_...she had nothing to fear._

**_A/N: And this fic returns as well! I'm on such a roll today that its not even funny! I know I've been away from the writing scene for awhile, but now I'm making a much needed comeback! As a reward for being so patient with me and this fic, here is a little preview of Naruto and Hancock's arrival upon Amazon Lily during the next chapter! Be sure and review, now!_**

**Next time: Men are Forbidden! Return to Amazon Lily!**

_Naruto blinked slowly as the assembly demanded that he, as a living man, must leave the island at once._

_"But I'm not alive." He pointed out dumbly. "I've eaten the Shini Shini no mi. I'm a dead man."_

_His words wreaked utter havoc amongst the assembly. But, at the same time, they stoked the embers of hope in Hancock's heart. Yes, yes, that was true! No living man could be permitted to set foot on Amazon Lily! But Naruto, by his very nature, was not alive! The powers of his cursed fruit made it otherwise; he could drain the life force out of an entire village, if he were so inclined!_

_His very existence defied the laws of nature! Flame, light, shadow, anything that was of the earth and sky, he could take that in and-for a limited time-make that his power! In the wrong hands, such an ability could topple a nation. Even a Logia type would have much to fear from such a man. Without their infamous intangibility and element, even an admiral such as Kizaru would be in peril._

_And she'd seen what Naruto could do without the added benefit of his cursed fruit. Close combat with him bordered on suicidal. A single touch would drain the life right out of you, just like that. Just a single touch. He didn't have to grab you. Didn't have to pin you down. Even the lightest of blows, the softest of touches, would sap some of your life, your energy, your very soul, the very thing that gave you life..._

_For a moment, a sharp lance of fear stabbed through her breast._

_Surely, surely he could control it? Of course he could! Hancock was quick to reassure herself and equally quick to come to his defense in that regard. She remembered all too well the gentle touch of his hand upon hers. She hadn't felt the slightest bit queasy then, and she certainly didn't now. She fisted her hand within his and felt him stiffen, but she refused to relinquish her grip. Not here, not now, not when she needed him the most._

_Gently, feebly, Naruto took his hand away from his beloved._

_"Look." Naruto touched his hand to Hancock's exposed thigh. A startled gasp went up from the entire assembly. A dim green glow shone between his fingertips, bright beyond all measure and fascinating to behold. Naruto, he heaved a deep and heavy breath, groaning, as if the effort to breathe suddenly pained him. He kept it there for what felt like some time, and to Hancock, a blessed eternity._

_When he finally pulled his hand away, he looked a bit paler than normal, and with good reason. He had done as he had said he would. He had done the the miraculous and held true to his word; because he had, indeed, performed a miracle. The same feat to which he had spoken._

_The wound was gone._

* * *

_It wasn't all that long before Naruto faced his first opponent in the arena. _

_Trapsing across a moving island was one thing, but actually finding his way proved to be another matter entirely. He was bound to encounter someone sooner rather than later, or so he assumed. Which was how he found himself in his current situation. The blade whisked past his face for a second time, prompting him to retreat once more. His enemy attacked with the high frequency sword, spearheading the lunge at Naruto as if she had been launched by a powerful bow._

_Naruto barely avoided the blade because the armored amazon moved with the speed of lightning. He flung a hand outward on the backswing, contemptously batting the blade aside on the backswing when it came around for a second strike._

_"Enough!" He bellowed, his figure crackling lightly as the steel rapped harmlessly against his palm. "I'm not your enemy!" The nameless amazon grunted in reply and flung her weapon at him, intending to skewer the blond. __Naruto held up his arm, tearing the glove away with his teeth and exposing the hand within. His hand closed around the face of the woman and forced her to the ground, shattering the stone beneath them._

_"Forgive me." He whisered, as an eerie aura consumed him and the struggling woman. "But I cannot lose to you."_

**_"Death Garden."_**

_And with these words, the woman withered._

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter and the previews! And don't forget to review until my ears fall off! Although, being a skeleton, I have no ears...SKULL JOOOOKE! YOHOHOHO!**

**R&R! =D**


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